I made this reservation based on the great reviews. There were 8 of us. Initially, the waiter was funny, in sort of a rude, condescending way. Then it was too much! He asked us if we wanted expresso.
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I live in Old City and will go to La Locanda on occasion. I've had my birthday dinner there two years in a row and LOVED it! Some of my friends want to go back, ""where was your birthday dinner again?"" I've been there on dates and with groups ranging from 4-18 people - all times have been inviting and delicious! I highly recommend the mushroom crepes!
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I went with a group of friends (party of 8). They had no ice to chill our wine (and keep in mind it's a byob) plus they rushed us to seat the next group despite us making a reservation weeks in advance. Will not go back.
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From the Moment my group of six from out of town walked in we were treated very rudely by our waiter. He was condesinding if not down right rude the entired time he waited on us. He did not commuicate accurately what the dishes were, and so we did not get what we expected. He also dissapeared out on to the street for most of our service to do who knows what, and so the chef was the one who took care of us, when we could get his attention. we waited quite some time to get someones attention so we could get our bill, and they refused to split the ticket even when we asked them specifically before hand. I have been all over the country and the world, and it was by far the worst service i have ever had. I was higly dissapointed as many locals had recomended this place, but i guess you have to be a local in order to have a good experience at this restaurant. Food was ok, but forgetable.
Pros: food was ok
Cons: Service was horrible
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La Locanda is my all time favorite BYO in Philadelphia. I have been here easily over a dozen times for everything from dates, to birthday celebrations, to casual dinners out, and every time it is a fabulous experience. The food here is phenomenal, the mushroom crepes are heaven on a plate, and the tiramisu is the best I've ever had. The only thing that tops the food at La Locanda is the staff. They are so friendly, accommodating and highly entertaining. The last time I was there, the waiter had my mother laughing so hard she was crying! There is nothing bad I can say about La Locanda. But if you want to go on a friday or saturday night, be sure to make a reservation by wednesday, otherwise you won't get a table.
Pros: Amazing Food; Fabulous Staff; Great Atmosphere; Good prices
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We had a party of six so they picked our appetizers and it was all done family style. Very good. We all had a meal, something different and then we shared! Again awesome. We shared a few desserts and all had expresso, no plain coffee - of any kind. Bill, including tip was only 260.00 - not bad for ALL the food. Took a taxi back to the hotel.
Pros: FOOD was GREAT!
Cons: Noisy & No Ice
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What a great place! cheap and good plus you feel like you're sitting at your family's house. It's bustling and noisy but that's what makes it so fun!
Pros: they make you feel right at home
Cons: parking
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My husband and I visited the restaurant last night. We had an ok experience. We both had specials and mine was a fish that was breaded sauteed then baked. This cooking resulted in a dry and bready dish that they should really consider taking off the list. My husband had a pork chop that he said was ok, a little overcooked. The highlight of the meal was the homemade ricotta gnocchi. They were light as a feather and the sauce was excellant. We ended the meal with a delicious tiramisu which they gave us on the house because our table was right next to the door where people were waiting to be seated. if you go make sure you ask for tap water as you will not be given that option, they offer mineral or still bottled water. I ordered the still thinking it was tap but guess what....$ 5:00 for a bottle which we didn't finish. If we go again I would get an appetizer and a pasta course as the entrees really are home cooking that you may already make yourself.
Pros: pasta tiramisu
Cons: table by the door--the bottled water
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I went this past Saturday and I have to say this was an amazing experience! My mother and my boyfriend?s parents were meeting for the first time and this was the perfect spot for dinner. I had read other reviews and I wasn?t sure what to expect. I've been to many BYOBs in Philly and I wanted to try something new. First off the food was marvelous. We had the $35 prix fixe menu. Basically you choose an appetizer, pasta, entree, and dessert off of the complete menu (anything you want.) There was so much food! And the flavor was remarkable! The mussels (I had mine in the white sauce) and gnocchi were to die for! Everyone in our group was raving about how great the food was. The menu isn?t huge but that is nice as everything they do is perfected. My boyfriend had one of the best mahi mahi?s he has ever tasted (and he is into his fish.) Not only was the fish good but it was covered with a ton of other seafood. Be sure to leave room for the tiramisu as it melts in your mouth! They have oso bucco on the menu every night and you won?t be disappointed. Like other reviews it was just like stepping into an old school Italian home. You need to take the waiters suggestions and follow their lead; they know what they are talking about. Also they are true Italians and will not be dancing around you to make you happy, like they say ?this isn?t Le Bec Fin!? They treat you like old family friends with a bit of tongue in cheek. Make a reservation for one of the 3 nightly seating and plan to be there for the full 2 hours. People that say they were rushed must not have been listening when they made the reservation as they clearly say that it will take 2 hours to eat but you can only have 2 hours as they must seat the next patrons. If you need more time I suggest taking the 9pm seating. Be sure to bring plenty of wine and be ready for a good time with family and friends. If you are an uptight stick in the mud I suggest you go someplace else, they would probably too.
Pros: The food, the setting, everything was wonderful
Cons: If you are a fuddy-duddy stay home
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My wife and I first visited this BYO several years ago and have been big fans ever since. The menu is small and simple but offers amazing food, and because of the small menu your food arrives at the table very quickly. The portion sizes are perfect and generous. The servers are friendly, warm and make you feel like you are sitting down at your grandmothers house rather than a restaurant. There isnt one thing on the menu I cannot recommend. Be sure to make reservations early in the week for a weekend date. Sitting outside in the summer is nice but 3rd street can get a little busy. The best seats are in the corner by the kitchen or near the window...request these when you make your reservations.
Pros: Service, location
Cons: nothing
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I recently organized a girls weekend for 14 ladies. We ate here on a saturday night for dinner. I was a bit anxious about it due to never having dined here before, and reading some other reviews it seemed it could go either way. Well- I am so glad I choose La Locanda. The whole experience, really could not have been better. The place is small but they had no trouble accommodating such a large group. We sat right near the kitchen. The place was charming, welcoming and warm. Our waiter was just perfect. The food was delicious. We were not rushed at all - although we did follow the suggestion of about one bottle for every 2 people which was plenty. They put our white in the freezer to keep it cold and re-corked anything we didn't drink. Our waiter made a big fuss over the bachelorette, without us asking him too, and really made us feel special. We felt like we were at a big family party! We had the apps family style as they recommended and there was so much food, we really didn't need the entrees we had ordered. However we were all glad we did they were so delicious! Everything I tried was great- although the mussels, gnocchi and espresso were stellar for me. A great kick off to such a great night! Thank you La Locanda!!! We will be back.
Pros: Great Food, Friendly Atmoshere
Cons: parking maybe but we walked!
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I was very disappointed since a good Italian friend of mine and several other friends had raved about how great this restaurant is so I was really looking forward to a great meal, good ambience and a fun time with a group of my friends. What I experienced, however, was quite different.
Pros: location
Cons: service, food, loud
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This is my first time writting a review, and I just had to do it because my experinces at these restaurant have been so good over the past several years. This is a small restaurant with a big heart! The waiter will greet you like and old friend and exclaim excitedly that a clean plate ""is jusst what we like to see"". The food is hearty italian fare, and the specials are always delicious.
Pros: Freindly staff treat you like family. Food is excellent hearty italian fare
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Amazing, amazing, amazing. Small and intimate. Our favorite place in the city. The specials are always incredible, and the muscles are the best I've ever eaten. Love the people who work there even more -- always smiling, always happy to bring you more amazing food. The place is small and can get very warm, but it's very cozy and has so much character.
Pros: Best Italian Food in Philly
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I never write these things. But this was such a bad experience I need to tell you-never come here. The waiter was rude, kept interrupting me and my girlfriends to take our CAR KEYS to move our cars (like we want this a** in our cars)....he made the whole experience unpleasant, and I when he stopped tornado-ing around the restaurant for a minute I told him this and he cursed at me. He shouted the specials to the whole restaurant, but then was interrupted when he had to seat a table that walked in, then interrupted the whole place again to bark the specials again. The meal tasted like something I would make when I was out of main ingredients and didnt feel like running to the store. LASTLY, check your check when you pay. He likes to add his own undeserved 22 percent gratuity--dont try to make a wish if your friends bring you a bday cake, because he yells at you to get it over with.
Pros: I didnt get sick
Cons: See above
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I've been a patron for more than 10 years, and I haven't even been alive for more than 20. My dad used to take me here when I was a child, and it stuck so vibrantly in my head that when it came time for me to start going out on my own (with friends or a significant other) this place was the first place I went. The food is always brilliantly prepared exactly as it's ordered, and the price (though somewhat expensive) reflects the quality of the meal. They're a small place, so you can't expect it not to be crowded and loud, and they're popular, so if you want to sit for more than half an hour after your meal, they'll probably start asking you to leave. If you go in expecting those things (as you should, for the type of restaurant) you won't be disappointed. The wait staff is friendly and treats you like family, the view of the kitchen is fantastic while you're waiting for your food, and to this day I still use Joe's rules in my every day life: no more than one bottle of wine per two people, and never put cheese on seafood.
Pros: Fantastic food, friendly wait staff, cozy decor.
Cons: Loud, and there's rarely street parking.
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My family and friends hosted a dinner party for my 30th birthday last weekend. First of all they had the table that was finishing up before us leave so we could sit down! They told us they do family style appetizer samplings for large groups (which really meant they bring everything on the menu x2) and you can't order soup if you are in a large group; they opened every bottle of wine that was one the table, left the white wine and champagne sitting on the table (b/c they are a byob restaurant that does not have ice buckets!!), they didn't give the option of bottled water or tap just brought bottled, the waiter was rude and would make comments as he was walking away from the table, there was a fight in the kitchen for about 15 mintues, food was burning and the area where we were sitting filled with smoke, we were rushed to order our entrees... but then waited over 30 minutes for them to come out, one guest was yelled at for asking them to leave out the tomatoes from the shrimp dish, another guest was yelled at for not telling the waiter to save the crab cake appetizer for her entree b/c she was supposed to know they did not have anymore left, they did not come and offer any more water when the 2 little bottles ran out for the 14 guests, one guests flounder was very overcooked and was yelled at for not sending it back but she could not b/c no one came over to the table to see if we were ok, you got yelled at if you tried to stand up b/c you were in the way, did not offer coffee (oh that's b/c they don't have coffee) or dessert, brought out the icecream cake for my birthday and it was melted, poured our champagne in wine glasses b/c they don't own champagne glasses, not even 4 minutes after the cake was served and champagne, they were asking us to finish up and get out, there were 3 bottles of wine just opened, 2 big bottles of champagned gone to waste. The only positive thing i have to say about this place is the mussels and homemade gnocci were pretty good.
Pros: homemade gnocci
Cons: rude server, rushed, not accomidating to large groups
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We had a family gathering of 18 people on a Saturday night and although I heard the food was incredible here I was nervous about trying to pick a place that would please all 18 people. As we walked out of the restaurant there wasn't a person from our table that wasn't impressed with the food and the atmosphere. The servers were friendly and made the experience fun. The staff is incredibly enthusiastic and proud about their restaurant and they have every right to be since we were impressed with every dish that arrived at the table. Our family became their family and we'll be back for sure!
Pros: The food and the service
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